Wrecking ball



WRECKING BALL Wright Howe, North Arlington, N. E.

Application September l2, 1952, Serial No. 399,395

2 Claims. (Cl. 294-82) This invention relates generally to improvements in overhauling balls, Wrecking balls and the like adapted to be attached to and suspended by wire rope or other forms of cable; and the invention has especial reference to improvements in overhauling balls for use in connection with hoisting cable rigging of cranes, derricks and the like hoisting mechanism.

Overhauling balls heretofore in use in connection with the load lifting cable of hoisting mechanism have, by reason of the method and means of attachment thereof to the hoisting cable, greatly reduced the headroom of the crane or derrick, i. e. the distance between the top of the crane or derrick boom and the load being raised when the load has been lifted to a maximum possible height, and have therefore unduly limited the possible distance of lift through which the load can be raised. Such reduction of headroom is due to the fact that the overhauling ball is provided with an attachment element, for the reception of an attachment loop of the hoisting cable, which projects outwardly above the top side of the ball. Such exteriorly projecting attachment elements vary in distance of projection from the ball body ranging from twelve to twenty-four inches, depending upon the size of the ball. ln addition to this, headroom is further reduced by reason of the required use of cable clamping devices by which the attachment bight or loop of the hoisting cable is secured to the attachment element of the ball; it being customary to use from two to four such clamping devices, which occupied from six to eighteen inches of distance along the cable above the attachment element of the ball; thus involving a total loss of headroom of from one foot and one-half, more or less, to upwards of three feet.

Another disadvantage of the above described heretofort used overhauling ball structure, with its exteriorly projecting top attachment element and the cable attachment clamps, is that, in hoisting operations, it frequently f occurred that a cable clamp was forcibly carried into contact with the top sheave of the crane or derrick boom, over which the hoisting cable runs, before the crane or derrick operator stops the load lifting movement of the cable, with the not infrequent result that a flange or anges of the sheave were broken, thus requiring replacement of the sheave and interruption of use of the equipment until repairs could be made.

In addition to the above recited disadvantages of the heretofore used overhauling ball structure, the exteriorly projecting attachment element, by which the ball is coupled to the hoisting cable, is subject to more or less rapid wear, resulting in eventual breakage and parting of the ball from the hoisting cable. lf such breakage and parting occurs during operation of the hoisting mechanism, both personal injury and property damage may well result, and even loss of life may occur. In any event, such occurrence ruins the ball and uneconomically shortens its useful life.

Having the above conditions in view, it is an object of this invention to provide a construction of overhauling ball which is provided with novel means for attaching the same to a hoisting cable in such manner as to avoid necessity for use of an attachment element which projects exteriorly from the top of the ball, whereby a maximum of headroom is obtained, and a consequently greater distance of load lift is assured in the operation of a hoisting crane or derrick served by the ball; said novel attaching means avoiding necessity for use of external cable clamps or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction of overhauling or similar ball having means for attaching the same to and for suspension from a cable to be equipped therewith in such maner as to assure a safe and durable coupling connection therebetween, thus eliminating risk of breaking away of the ball from the cable, and thereby assuring a safe and substantially indestructible ball, the useful life of which is practically unlimited.

The invention has for a further object to provide an overhauling ball and means for attaching the same to a hoisting cable in such manner that, in use in hoisting operations, the load is carried substantially solely by the cable without necessity for transmission of lifting force through the ball per se.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a novel construction of overhauling or similar ball having means by which it can be quickly and securely coupled to a hoisting or suspending cable with a minimum expenditure of time and labor.

The above and other objects of this invention will become apparent by reading the following detailed description of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a fragmentary elevational View of a crane or derrick boom and supported hoisting cable which is equipped with an overhauling ball according to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the overhauling ball, taken on line 2-2 in Fig. l, but drawn on an enlarged scale; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View, taken on line 3 3 in Fig. 2; and Fig. i is a horizontal sectional View, taken on line 4 4 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view similar to that of Fig. 3, but showing the ball structure and its cable attaching means as modied for use as a wrecking ball; and Fig. 6 is a similar view showing another construction suitable for use as a wrecking ball.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to Fig. l, the reference character 10 indicates the boom of a crane or derrick provided at its end with a sheave 1l over which runs a hoisting cable i2, usually comprising wire rope, and to which hoisting cable is attached the overhauling ball i3 of this invention.

The overhauling ball 13 comprises a usually spherical body of cast iron. Entering the ball body through its bottoni end or underside, so as to be located within the lower half or hemisphere of said body, is an upwardly tapered cavity 14, which is bounded by suitably spaced and opposed parallel side walls i5 and by opposed convergent transverse walls 16. Extending axially upward through the ball body, from the inner upper end of said cavity 14 to and so as to open out from the top end or side of said ball body, is a passageway 17 through which the hoisting cable 12 can extend downwardly through the ball body and its cavity i4.

The reference character 1S indicates an upwardly tapered coupling block which is of external shape adapted to correspond and conform to the internal shape of the ball body cavity 14, whereby, when entered in said cavity, to Wedge securely therein. Said coupling block is provided with an endwise open, upwardly tapered internal socket 19, which is bounded on one side by a perpendicular Wall 20, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the coupling block, and on its opposite side by an upwardly and inwardly inclined wall 21. Said socket 19 is adapted to receive a floating wedge piece 22 having a perpendicular face 23 to oppose the perpendicular wall 20 of said socket, and an opposite inclined face 2li to oppose the inclined wall 21 of said socket. Dependent from the lower or external end of the coupling block 1S, preferably extending in the plane of the side walls thereof to project exteriorly from the bottom end or underside of the ball body 13, are laterally spaced shackle arms 2S, provided with aligned openings 26.

To operatively attach the ball body 13 to the hoisting cable 12, the lower end portion of said cable is passed downwardly through the passageway 17 of the ball body, and thence downwardly through the socket 19 of the coupling block 18. The free end portion of the cable is then doubled back upon itself to form, by an upwardly extending section 12 thereof, a loop or bight 12". The wedge piece 22 is inserted within said loop or bight 12" so as to be embraced thereby, whereupon the assembled L cable and wedge piece is drawn into the socket 19 of the coupling block 18, so that upward pull upon the cable 12 moves the wedge piece longitudinally upward relative to the convergent walls of the coupling block socket 19, thereby tightly and securely wedging the cable 12 and its section 12 respectively against the perpendicular wall and the inclined wall 21 of said socket, and thus strongly anchoring the ball body 13 in attached relation to the hoisting cable 12.

To the shackle arms 25 of the coupling block 18 may be attached a load supporting hook 27. Said hook is attached to the shackle arms by engaging a coupling bolt or pin 28 through the openings 26 of the shackle arms and through the interposed shank eye of the hook. It will be understood that any other suitable load engaging or carrying means may be attached to the shackle arms in place of the hook 27, such e. g. as spreaders, wire rope slings or the like.

It will be observed that the overhauling ball according to this invention is secured to the hoisting cable 12 by novel anchoring means contained entirely within the interior of the ball body, thus obviating necessity for use of attachment means disposed to project exteriorly from the top or upper side of the ball body, and also eliminating necessity for use of cable clamps above the ball body. By reason of this, there is no loss of headroom during operation of a hoisting crane or derrick, the cable of which is equipped with the overhauling ball of this invention; and, in fact, as compared with old style overhauling balls heretofore mentioned, there is an actual gain f of headroom of from one foot and one-half more or less upwards of three feet. Furthermore, since cable clamps are eliminated, risk of injury to or breakage of the sheave at the top of a crane or derrick boom is also obviated, since, if the overhauling ball of this invention should be carried into contact with the sheave, the top surface of the ball cannot wedge between the sheave flanges, but will bear uniformly against and across the peripheries of the latter without risk of damage thereto. In fact, such contact of the ball with the sheave will tend to upswing the crane or derrick boom, so that such effect can be observed by the operator of the crane or derrick, and said operator will be warned that maximum possible lift of the load has been attained.

It will also be understood that the means and mode of anchoring the hoisting cable to the overhauling ball according to this invention is not subject to wear or breakage resulting in parting of the ball from the cable, and accompanying grave risk of either personal injury or property damage or both. Furthermore, since the overhauling ball structure of this invention is not subject to wear or breakage, the ball is practically indestructible, and is capable of continued use throughout an unlimited life.

Another advantage of the overhauling ball structure of this invention is that the lift of the hoisting cable is l clamps, which require much time and labor to apply, are

necessary.

Referring to Fig. 5, the ball body as therein shown is anchored to a suspension cable 12 by the coupling block 18 and wedge piece 22, whereby to adapt the ball body for use as a wrecking ball. In this case, the coupling block 18 is preferably furnished without the shackle arms 25.

l'n Fig. 6 is shown a further modiiied ball and cable attachment assembly, wherein the coupling block 18 is eliminated and the wedge piece 22, as embraced by the loop or bight 12 of the cable 12, is entered in the cavity 14 of the ball body 13, so as to wedgingly grip the cable 12 and its section 12' between the wedge piece and the convergent walls 16 of the cavity 14, to thereby securely attach the ball to and for suspension by the cable 12 subject to use as a wrecking ball.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

l. In combination with a hoisting or suspension cable, a weighty solid ball body and means disposed entirely within the interior of the ball body for attaching the cable thereto, said means comprising a chamber extending diametrically into the ball body from its under side and a cable receiving passage extending diametrically downward from the upper side of the ball body into communication with the upper inner end of said chamber, through which passage an end portion of the cable extends to pass downwardly into said chamber, said chamber having parallel side walls and opposed transverse walls convergent toward the cable receiving passage, a solid wedge piece longitudinally movable in said chamber, the external contours of said Wedge piece substantially conforming to the internal contours of said chamber, said wedge piece having tapered edges parallelly spaced in opposition to the convergent walls of said chamber, and said cable being looped lengthwise about said wedge piece so as to embrace said tapered edges thereof, with the free end portion of said cable returned upwardly into the cable receiving passage of the ball body, whereby, under upward pulling strain upon the cable, said wedge piece will be upwardly moved within the chamber and thus caused to wedge and grip the looped cable between its tapered edges and said convergent walls of the chamber in securely attached relation to the ball body.

2. The combination with the load lifting cable of hoisting mechanism of an overhauling ball comprising a weighty solid ball body having a cavity extending diametrically thereinto from its under side and a cable receiving passage extending diametrically downward from its upper side into communication with the upper inner end of said cavity, a coupling block seated in said cavity, said coupling block having an endwise open socket which communicates with said cable receiving passage, said socket having parallel side walls spaced apart at a distance approximating the diameter of the cable and op posed transverse walls convergent toward said cable receiving passage, a solid wedge piece slidably supported between the parallel side walls of said socket, said wedge piece having tapered edges parallelly spaced in opposition to the convergent walls of said socket, said cable being looped lengthwise about said wedge piece so as to embrace said tapered edges thereof, with the free end portion of said cable returned upwardly into the cable receiving passage of the ball body, whereby, under upward pulling strain upon the cable, said wedge piece will be upwardly moved within the cavity and thus Wedge and grip the looped cable between its tapered edges and said convergent walls of the socket in securely attached rela- OTHER REFERENCES non to the bau body and Said Coupling block having information circular #7472 U. S. Dept. of Interior, perforate shackle arms dependent from its lower ends Bureau df Mines dated Aug. 1948. titled A Skull to project eXteriorly from the under side of the ball Breaker in a Limestone Quarry 241 291 body, by which load carrying means can be directly 5 A t- Lb d D`- 25 attached to the cable independently of the ball body. copy 1S m Selen l c l tary an m 1V' J References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS l39,625 Great Britain Mar. 1l, 1920 10 

